when you replied to a topic.. it generally goes over the top among every other topic of the forum.. so if you want a topic to be seen or read by others but don't have anything more to say or type.. then you just type:

I've been wondering what "UP" means in forums and why people always write that in a subsequent post all by itself. For example, in the classifieds section, people begin the thread by placing an ad for their equipment or whatever it is they're selling. Then, when whether or not someone responds to the post, in subsequent posts they will post an UP message by itself, sometimes accompanied by a smiley face emoticon.

This morning I finally found out that it was frowned upon since it actually directs the moderator to place the message as the latest post or UP on top of everyone else's. I had to Google this since I was afraid to ask it inside any thread for fear of being kicked out! Since it is frowned upon, why does everyone still do it? Shouldn't the moderator inform the "forumites" (another unofficial term) of this disrespectful activity? Or is it just tolerated?

Another term I searched was IMO/IMHO. Found out it was "In My Opinion" and "In My Honest Opinion." Now everything makes sense.

Actually, the process is automatic. It doesn't direct the moderator to do anything. Posting anything (even a blank message) on any topic will immediately move it to the top of the thread because all messages are ordered by the ones with the most recent post.

UP-ping or BUMP-ing (Bring My Post Up) is common especially in Classifieds threads that have fast activity. If I'm selling something, it will likely get lost in the shuffle after a few hours, ending up in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th pages of the forum. I can UP/BUMP my thread so people can see it on the first page again.

Overdoing it however, is bad practice. I believe there was a Bumping guideline implemented last year, that you can UP/BUMP your threads only once per day - and that you should delete the old UP/BUMP message so as to not waste forum space.

Ok. I understand. But if your latest post automatically goes to the top of the latest page, you don't really have to type UP anymore, right? All you have to do is send a blank message within your post and it automatically brings it to the top. Of course, adding a smiley face will do no harm--or even writing UP. Arggh! Inescapable! Haha!

We have been controlling UPs since this has been much abused by some members in order to increase their post counts. There is this misguided perception where "leveling up" means increased respect in the community and addictus status means that one becomes 'untouchable' - far from it.

With respect to the classifieds, only the seller is allowed to up his thread; we delete needless ups and disallow others from bumping up another's classifieds thread.

We tend to follow standard practice on netiquette, which is just plain good manners if you think about it. What is (not) surprising is that the anonimity of the internet seems to bring out a lot of the Jeckyll in some people, which unfortunately is more common than most people care to admit.

I'm glad you touched on the addictus stauts and the other "tags" a member has under his "call sign." I've noticed quite a number of members have this. Is this automatically generated by the site once a person has been a member for a certain duration or after a number of posts? Or is there some other reason? I'm not too bothered by it nor am I influenced. Just an observation.

Well, don't let me take too much of your net time. As I'm sure you've deduced from the quality and flavor of my queries, I'm new to forums and the like. Like a number of us mere mortals, I just mostly read and learn what I can. As I've observed, you (KitC) seem to be a well-respected person whose talent as a moderator and as a musician/recordist is beyond question. Thanks for your kindness and invaluable inputs! See ya around

The status tag and the corresponding star count/colour under the callsign are automatically changed as you reach a set amount of posts. (Forum Fanatic at 500, Addictus at 1000, and so on.)

I'd like to share my take on this though.

I believe that Philmusic is primarily a community-centric venue for musicians. However, it's also known as a trade emporium with good visibility and traffic. We know about the complexity of a musician's gear. Then there are times where shipping money and gear is the only viable option between buyer and seller. All these factors give us plenty of ways to be scammed.

That's why there are times when I look at a person's "status". Forgive the generalisation, but I believe that there are two types of forumites in PhilMu.1. Those who contribute in the discussion threads and post in the classfieds.2. Those who post in the classifieds alone.

I think considering member status is one safeguard to avoid scams. I have nothing against merchants in the forums, but sometimes, you can tell from the post if a deal is sketchy. Of course, I sometimes tend to read previous posts of the person I want to deal with just to make sure he didn't become a "Forum Fanatic" by posting "Up!" and smileys alone.

Bottom line, I'm more comfy dealing with contributing members, regardless of status - as long as he doesn't have just a couple of posts under his belt, all in the Classifieds section.

I am not new sa mga forums but I very rarely post stuff here. In fact I only began to post here just a few days ago after about three years being a member.

Admittedly, I only did so "partly" so that when I introduce myself during inquiries and negotiations, the other party could (hopefully) assess through my posts that I'm trustworthy naman. I havent sold anything here (yet) pero marami-rami na din ako nabili.

And yeah, I also tend to look for the quality of the previous posts of sellers I deal with (not just the UP ones)

I am a member of other forums though that are not guitar/music-related that I am more active at.

The status tag and the corresponding star count/colour under the callsign are automatically changed as you reach a set amount of posts. (Forum Fanatic at 500, Addictus at 1000, and so on.)

I'd like to share my take on this though.

I believe that Philmusic is primarily a community-centric venue for musicians. However, it's also known as a trade emporium with good visibility and traffic. We know about the complexity of a musician's gear. Then there are times where shipping money and gear is the only viable option between buyer and seller. All these factors give us plenty of ways to be scammed.

That's why there are times when I look at a person's "status". Forgive the generalisation, but I believe that there are two types of forumites in PhilMu.1. Those who contribute in the discussion threads and post in the classfieds.2. Those who post in the classifieds alone.

I think considering member status is one safeguard to avoid scams. I have nothing against merchants in the forums, but sometimes, you can tell from the post if a deal is sketchy. Of course, I sometimes tend to read previous posts of the person I want to deal with just to make sure he didn't become a "Forum Fanatic" by posting "Up!" and smileys alone.

Bottom line, I'm more comfy dealing with contributing members, regardless of status - as long as he doesn't have just a couple of posts under his belt, all in the Classifieds section.

I totally agree with your way of "sizing up" the members and I think that's a very simple and logical approach to weeding out the "Jeckyls"--as KitC pointed out--in this forum. On the other hand, we have members--hance and I are living proof--who rarely post outside the Classifieds, let alone within them, and are just here to learn from the invaluable tips and, once in a while, snap up a good bargain while they're at it. I believe this forum--and a good 90% of other forums out there--has this sort of "passive" membership as the majority. Don't you agree? I think that's reflective of society in general. I mean, in the last workshop, lecture, or gathering you attended, how many people actually raise their hand to answer a lecturers question immediately? How many people just sit and watch? And how many people suddenly find their shoes attractive or that tree outside the window beautiful when the lecturer scans his eyes across the room? What I'm trying to get at is this: We'll probably continue to have a difficult time sizing up people based on their 5 contributions to a forum and more so for those who just suddenly appear in the Classifieds lusting for our gear (which is most likely how I seem to you guys. Ha!).

By the way, thanks for reminding me that I now have only 985 more posts to go before I am crowned with the much revered "addictus" status. Haha.